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The job of managing our nation’s natural resources brings with it the responsibility of looking out for those working in the industry, and consuming the byproducts of that industry. That’s a big task, considering that almost every business sector – be it farming, transportation, or your corner restaurant – uses oil and natural gas in some capacity. But Secretary Salazar showed us yesterday that his priorities may not be in line with American consumers by neglecting to lift the offshore deepwater moratorium.

Administration officials admitted to us back in August that the original six-month offshore drilling ban would cost at least 23,000 American jobs -- during an economic recession, no less. And the American Petroleum Institute estimated that as many as 175,000 jobs could be lost between now and 2035 if offshore oil and gas development continues to be stalled. A timeline for the end of the ban was conspicuously left out of yesterday’s Interior Department announcement regarding new rules and regulations on offshore drilling operations, and that leaves plenty of – and unwelcome -- uncertainty for the American public.

Sen. Mary Landrieu, who is tirelessly looking out for her own Gulf state of Louisiana, communicated the struggle of the Gulf region rather succinctly when she said, “Let my people go. Let them go. Let them get back to work…” Those are strong words to ignore, but somehow yesterday’s decision seemed to do just that. We’re ignoring the opportunity to put people back to work, and we’re forgetting that failing to produce our own domestic resources means we must lean on foreign sources, and face the potential for rising energy costs going into the fall and winter seasons.

Will or should Secretary Salazar stay at his post? I think that’s between him and his boss in the White House. But was our government unsuccessful with representing our nation’s best interest in shaping robust energy policy yesterday? Absolutely.

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